Daniel Hillard
Daniel Hillard is a talented, unemployed actor and a devoted father loved by his three children Chris, Lydia and Natalie. However, his marriage to his workaholic wife Miranda is increasingly strained as the uptight Miranda has grown to dislike her husband's immature and spontaneous behavior. Daniel hires a mobile petting zoo and throws a large birthday party for his son Chris, despite knowing his wife wouldn’t allow it. After receiving a complaint at her business from a neighbor, Miranda decides this is the last straw, and demands a divorce. Since Daniel has no steady source of income or home, Miranda gets primary custody of their children. Daniel has visitation rights limited to Saturday evenings, devastating him as he adores his children. A court judge acknowledges this and agrees to consider a joint custody arrangement if Daniel can hold down a job and create a suitable home within three months. When Daniel learns that Miranda intends to hire a housekeeper and is unwilling to let Daniel take care of the kids, he uses his acting talents and enlists the help of his brother Frank, a makeup artist, and his partner Jack to transform him into Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire, a 60-year-old British nanny so he himself can apply for the position. Miranda is delighted with "Mrs. Doubtfire" and hires her on the spot. The two quickly begin to form a friendship, despite the children struggling to adjust to their new caretaker. Daniel, as Mrs. Doubtfire, is now able to see his kids every day, and uses this opportunity to be the firm father figure who he wasn't before. Eventually, the children begin to respond favorably to Mrs. Doubtfire's methods and Miranda is able to heal her rocky relationship with them and with Daniel as well, who begins to improve himself through his alter ego. However, it has also created another barrier, as Miranda hasn't fully trusted Daniel to care for the children yet over Mrs. Doubtfire and she doesn't have the heart to let her housekeeper go. It was at this time that Daniel's older children, 14-year-old Lydia, and 12-year-old Chris, discovers his secret. Daniel then explains himself that while he doesn't like disguising himself as Mrs. Doubtfire, he mentions he's doing it as a means to see them and Natalie again. He asks Lydia and Chris not to tell Miranda about it, because if she finds out, she will sue for full custody. Daniel also mentions that the three of them must keep this a secret from Natalie as well because she's too young and will likely tell on him to their mother. While taking a job at the studio doing settings, he notices a table full of dinosaur toys and pretends to be a quirky host. This attracts the attention of his boss, Jonathan Lundy, who is impressed by his creativity and imagination. He invites Daniel to dinner at a restaurant to discuss a possible show starring him. It happened to be on the same night on Miranda's birthday party which she's attending with the children and her new boyfriend, Stu Dunmire (whom Daniel clearly despises because he believes that he's taking away his role as his children's father), which Mrs. Doubtfire has been invited to. Unable to change either appointment, Daniel decides to try to rotate in and out of the Mrs. Doubtfire outfit to attend both events. His behavior becomes more erratic due to alcohol that he drank and he unwittingly sabotages Stu's dinner by putting in spices (which he is allergic to). Upon returning to Lundy's table in his Mrs. Doubtfire persona, Daniel explains that this is just part of his idea for a children's show. When Stu begins choking and Miranda calls for help, Daniel as Mrs. Doubtfire comes to their aid. When his disguise is exposed, an angry Miranda leaves with her children. During the next day in court and despite Daniel's pleas that he has a stable job and an income, the judge rules in favor of Miranda having sole custody of their children. He informs Daniel because of his behavior in posing as a 60-year-old housekeeper, he is not allowed to visit his children without supervision and that he must seek counseling for a year. Daniel is depressed and Miranda feels guilty for what she's done. His new children's show, "Euphegenia's House," becomes a hit and starts airing across the country. When Miranda visits him while taking a break, she apologizes to Daniel for what she put him through and that their family were happier when he was involved. She asks the judge to grant him joint custody of their children, allowing him to spend time with their children everyday after school. Now able to properly spend time with his children as himself, Daniel takes them out for a day of fun, while Miranda watches an episode in which he as Mrs. Doubtfire, reads a letter from a young girl whose parents have separated. She explains that no matter what arrangements families have, love will prevail. Category:Characters Category:Hillard Family Category:Heroes